Wisconsin neighborhood evacuated in followup to Sikh temple shooting

WISN news in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is reporting that a neighborhood has been evacuated in connection with this morning’s mass shooting at a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Shortly after 5 p.m., neighbors said a team of law enforcement officers, including from the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, had entered a home in Cudahy. Authorities have blocked off several streets surrounding the house.”

The WISN reporters state that there is a “huge police presence” surrounding the duplex in the Cudahy neighborhood and that about two dozen families have been told to leave.

The residents have been instructed not to talk with news media, and it is not clear whether the police have reason to believe here is any danger or if they are using extreme caution because of the booby-trapped apartment of the Aurora, Colorado shooter.

According to a helicopter news crew, what appeared to be a bomb-sniffing dog was led around the perimeter of a house on Holmes Avenue as police attempted to determine how to enter. At 6:20 local time, an armored assault vehicle had arrived along with trailers full of equipment.

Note: Additions and corrections have been made to this story as it develops.

About the Author

Muriel Kane is an associate editor at Raw Story. She joined Raw Story as a researcher in 2005, with a particular focus on the Jack Abramoff affair and other Bush administration scandals. She worked extensively with former investigative news managing editor Larisa Alexandrovna, with whom she has co-written numerous articles in addition to her own work. Prior to her association with Raw Story, she spent many years as an independent researcher and writer with a particular focus on history, literature, and contemporary social and political attitudes. Follow her on Twitter at @Muriel_Kane